HIST201 - Art, Science and Magic in Renaissance Europe

Description:

The European Renaissance is known for the incredible artistic accomplishments, in painting, sculpture and architecture, of a cohort of artists centered in Italy and the Northern Courts during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Some of these artists – most notably Leonardo da Vinci but others as well – also engaged in various scientific investigations that advanced significantly the body of scientific knowledge known to their medieval ancestors. Yet, one less known but equally important aspect of the period is the central role of magic and other occult practices in the works of Renaissance thinkers. At a key turning point in the history of Western thought, a revival of ancient Greek, Egyptian, Jewish, and Arab traditions of magic spurred new developments in philosophy, science, religion, and art. This course will investigate these developments and seek to understand the reaction against them in the great European witchcraft trials of the 16th and 17th centuries.